[Fertility and occupational exposure to pesticides]

Abstract

The epidemiological studies discussed in this paper are concerned with the association between exposure to pesticides among workers employed in agriculture or greenhouses and pregnancy and semen quality. The results of the studies showed that employment in agriculture increases the risk of specific morphological abnormalities in sperm as well as decreases the sperm count and the percentage of viable sperm. The data on the effect of employment in agriculture on the time of pregnancy are not unequivocal, but most of them suggest the relationship between pesticide exposure and decreased fecundity rate. The studies of the gender ratio of the offspring do not yield explicit results showing that more girls than boys are born to workers exposed to pesticides. The results of the literature review also suggest the need to increase the awareness about potential adverse effects of pesticides on fertility among workers occupationally exposed to them. In the light of the available, alas still insufficient evidence that pesticides exert negative effect on fertility, it is essential to reduce pesticide exposure both among men and women before the planned pregnancy.